• grades

    get that mark outta my sight!

    April 29, 2014

    quick question: if I took a course that I was excluded from as it was not needed for my program requirements and failed it, is it possible to remove it from my records or transcript?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    if you have a really good reason for withdrawing the course, you can go to your registrar’s office and file a petition. however, usually, once the mark is on your transcript, it’s on there permanently. sorry about that, dude!

    however (and here’s your silver lining), you should note that if the course was an exclusion, it should have been designated an ‘extra’ on your transcript, meaning that the mark will not count towards your GPA and it will not be counted as credit towards your degree. you can read more about that here under ‘”Extra” Courses: 100-series, Repeating and Excluded Courses,’ #3. Exclusions.

    best,

    aska

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  • extracurricular

    ex-co’s

    April 24, 2014

    hi Aska,

    I have been trying to get involved in extra-curricular activities since the start of the year, but I just don’t have time (big shocker there). I will be doing summer school this summer. do you know if extra-curricular activities run during the summer as well (clubs, teams, etc.)?

    Thanks.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    lots of extra-curricular activities run in the summer! and good on you for wanting to participate in them rather than just chasing down the ice-cream truck and taking afternoon naps, like i do every summer. i’d recommend reading through this list, picking out what interests you, and then contacting those groups to ask if they are continuing into the summer. i’m sure you’ll find something interesting.

    xoxo,

    aska

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  • OSAP,  probation

    osap probation declaration

    April 24, 2014

    hey,
    I was put on osap probation for dropping below 3.0 credits because I realized I would fail some courses. Then during the spring semester I dropped another course. These happened due to personal reasons (no medical certificates to back anything up though) and I’m pretty sure I can do a lot better than this year. So having been put on probation will I be suspended?

    Thanks

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    when you’re put on OSAP probation, you stay on probation for 12 months. during that time, you’re expected to pass all the courses you register for. if you do, you’ll be taken off probation. if you don’t, you’ll be restricted from receiving OSAP for one school year.

    take a look at Question #19 to read more about it, but note that this PDF is a 2012-2013 document, so i’d recommend you call financial aid to double-check, just in case something’s changed since then.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • failing,  UTM

    you’ve answered your own question, bud

    April 24, 2014

    i go to utm i started the year taking more classes but basically i dropped?out of all my courses except 1 i want to go back to utm in the fall, but
    this years been a lost cause and i want my cgpa to suffer as little as?possible?even if i aced the exam in my 1 course i’d still fail the class?is there anyway for me to not have the bad grade i get in this course show?up on my transcript? i’m pretty sure the answer is no i need to be taking?at least one course to sign up for courses next year so i just need to?study my ass off take the bad grade and do better next year right?

    ???????????????

    hey there,

    utm says that “[o]nce a course has been completed it can only be removed under extreme extenuating circumstances presented through a petition to the Committee on Standing. Be aware that petitions for removal of a completed course are not normally granted,” so…basically, yeah, the chances are likely that the marks on your transcript will stay as they are.

    if you want to improve your GPA, it’s most likely that you’ll have to do it the good, old-fashioned way: by working hard in the terms to come.

    best of luck to ya,

    aska

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  • probation,  UTSC

    probing the rules on probation

    April 24, 2014

    Hi aska,

    So if I’ve attempted 3.0 credits and one of them is a Credit/No credit (so only 2.5 is being assessed for my CPGA), and I still eligible to get put on academic probation?

    Thanks!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    so, yes, UTSC says you need to have attempted 3.0 FCEs in order for your standing to be assessed, but i know how confusing the word “attempted” can be in this context to a student (“what do you mean, attempted? i did the work! i attempted to show up to class on time!” etc. etc.). however, since CR/NCR courses count as degree credit, you’ll still be assessed at the end of this term. just because you have a CR/NCR, that does not exempt you; they’re just going to use your other courses which do have final grades on them to assess your academic standing.

    however, i happen to know that the rules are going to be changing in regards to this very soon on the downtown campus, so it’s probably a good idea for you to call scarborough and see if similar changes are happening there that may impact your situation.

    cheers,

    aska

    P.S. the person who asked this question said in the subject line of their e-mail that they’re at utsc. i didn’t just, like, randomly assume it, or divine the information with the magical powers i was given at birth. clarity is always helpful is in these situations, friends, so good job to the person who asked the question for helping me help them: you’re not bad, kid. not bad.

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  • admissions,  architecture,  masters

    do not fret, my architecture pet

    April 22, 2014

    Hey so i’m finishing third year and i’ve had a terrible one and i will be applying for master of architecture next year when i complete my fourth year. They require a minimum of 3.0 in last 5FCE so my CGPA is 2.86 right now and would i be fine if i rock next year In terms of gpa?
    Also since its considering the last 5FCE my Cgpa wouldn’t be that important right? considering all the other aspects of the application like the portfolio and the letters of recommendation
    Please get back to me whenever you can
    Thank you

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    right, so the GPA is calculated based on “the student[‘s] grades in academic courses in the last five FCEs completed at the senior level,” meaning that those are the courses that will be considered for your application, and that you’ll need to focus on. like you said, you just have to rock your last five courses (i.e. meet/exceed the GPA cut-off), present a strong application in all the other components, and, based on what’s on the daniels website, your application will have met the requirements for consideration.

    note that there are no specific mark requirements, but there are some prerequisite courses you do need to have completed in order to apply.

    best,

    aska

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  • business,  science,  subject POST

    mystery business program. mystery career. mystery life.

    April 22, 2014

    Hey, so I’m a first year life sci student first year, and ended with a GPA of 3.33 ish first semester (Got a 3.7, 3.0, 3.3, CR and a Y course). Then I decided to take business courses 2nd sem because I found that I didn’t really want to take the science route anymore. Well, the 2nd sem went pretty bad, I only took 3 courses and I’m pretty sure I failed one of them, and am expecting a 3.7 (at best) on the other one and a 2.0 on the Y course. Anyways, what should I do in the summer semester? Do I have a chance at getting into a business program that has a cutoff of like 3.2? Should I go back to science?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i’m not aware of any business program at the downtown campus of uoft that has a 3.2 cutoff average, so i can’t really comment on that. if you are interested in business, i’d recommend you take a look at utsc‘s, utm‘s and ryerson‘s business programs (maybe one of those was the program you were talking about? who can say…)

    as for choosing between commerce and science, that’s a pretty big decision – and unfortunately, while i’d really like to be an omnipotent deity who controls the academic fates of all uoft students, i’m not. luckily for you, this means that the choice is pretty much in your hands. if you need a little bit of advice about the direction of your university career, the best place to go would be to your college registrar’s office.

    while you’re there, you can also ask them about whether enrolling in a summer course is a good idea! without your specific academic information, all i can say is that 1) the summer term is a good opportunity to catch up on credits, but 2) it moves twice as quickly and so it can be challenging/hurt your GPA. i’m guessing that didn’t really help much, did it? but the registrar’s office can take a look at ALL your records and help you make an informed decision about whether or not to enrol. and those are the best kind of decisions, you know – informed ones.

    xoxo,

    aska

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  • transfer credits

    transfer me…somewhere…

    April 22, 2014

    Hi

    is there a formal application i have to fill out to get all of my UTM credits transferred?because it shows up normally on ROSI, so at this point i’m not doing anything but those credits are going to be?considered for the subject post i applied to!

    Thanks!

    ???????????????

    hey there,

    this is a pretty vague question, my dear friend. what i?think your situation is, is that you’re currently transferring from UTM to UTSG. if that’s the case, your transfer credits will be assessed (or will have been assessed? i can’t tell if you’re already at UTSG or in the process of transferring) along with your application; so just read your application documents/webpages carefully and make sure to follow the instructions, and you should be fine.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • career choice,  failing,  subject POST

    ask what uni can give to YOU.

    April 22, 2014

    Dear Aska,

    I’m supposed to be going into my third year at UofT next fall but I fudged up really bad and will be going into my second year (credit wise). Last year I decided to take only political science and international relations courses. I realized as much as I loved International Relations I could not do it in a classroom setting so I had to drop all those courses (LWD). I also failed astronomy by like 5%. So this year I decided to double up on my courses and took 6 per semester to “catch up”, that backed fired. I’m about to fail a political science course (pol200) and I did awful in my other courses. Last year I was on academic probation but I got out of it after summer school, but I’m pretty sure I’m headed right back or even academic suspension. I figured out that I want to major in Equity , that’s so far a definite because there’s a variety of courses I can take which I like. I was told to do a minor in sociology by my registrar because it was the one class I did well in, and I do like sociology but again I screwed up and will just get a passing mark (50%). I’m undecided if I should stay in political science. I love it but the classroom setting isn’t working for me. I tend to fall asleep in my classes because my professors are too dry as are my readings. But most of the opportunities I want, require a BA in political science. I was also thinking about doing a major in Urban Studies but I despise economics in a classroom settings. I have really bad luck when it comes to economic teachers, it all started in high-school. And for urban studies I have to take an intro to eco course. Another problem I have is that I’m almost all out of my LWD and CR/NO CR and have probably used up most of my first year course allowance figuring out what I don’t like. So I can’t screw up anymore. I’m going to make an appointment with the academic success centre later this week to see if they have any helpful advice. But I just don’t know what to do anymore. I’m just so burnt out from school, I have no motivation. The problem is I don’t like any other university other then UofT (in Canada). Also no course sounds interesting to me anymore. Any advice? I know I didn’t really ask any specific questions, but just any input would be greatly appreciated 🙂

    OH P.S. I forgot to mention, I eventually do want to get into law school (Idk if i’m gnna stay in Canada or go abroad for that) But at this rate I
    do not have the grades.
    P.P.S. All the opportunities I find for work or volunteering or internships require a GPA that I don’t have. And these experiences are amazing and will help me discover what I like and dislike, and if it’s for me.

    Sincerely,
    Need a Spark

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    you’ve got a lot of stuff going on here. i’m gonna be honest, i don’t know how much help i can be. like you said, you haven’t asked any specific questions, and since what you are asking seems to fall under the category of General School Life Advice, i’m just going to go that route, and let academic success handle the nitty-gritty details of your next steps at school (subject POSt stuff, LWDs, etc.), since they’ll probably be better at that than i will, anyway.

    it seems to me that you’re interested in a lot of things, but a lot of them you don’t like in a “classroom setting.” you said that more than once about different programs in your question, so i get the feeling that the issue here is not you finding a major that you like, but the actual atmosphere of school. if a lot of these things interest you, but not necessarily in a university context, then maybe the university’s the problem. i think maybe it would be helpful to think about what you really want out of your education, and whether uni can really provide it.

    keep in mind that i’m just making suggestions; i’m not going to tell you to drop out of school or make any drastic decisions, and of course you should definitely talk to your registrar’s office before making your decision, whatever it may be. however, i do think that every step of your education should be chosen by you, and for your own benefit. maybe sociology’s the best choice for you (just make sure you take a look at the program requirements before committing yourself to that route), maybe you need to take a year off, or maybe you now’s the time to move on from uoft.

    ask yourself why you “like UofT”; if it’s just for the prestige or the pretty buildings, then you’re in it for the wrong reasons. additionally, i’d say your academic probation is definitely a cue from the university to take a good look at your school career, and make a serious decision about where you want to proceed from here.

    finally, there are plenty of exciting, real-world volunteer opportunities that don’t have a GPA requirement at all. i’ve done my fair share of educational, rewarding, productive volunteering, and not once have i had to provide my GPA. university is definitely not the only path towards being a successful, productive member of society, and doing some volunteer work could be your entryway into a career you actually, y’know, enjoy. so take a look around!

    best,

    aska

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  • admissions,  stress

    destress in ten simple steps for only $29.99

    April 17, 2014

    How in the heck do I not stress about getting accepted to uni I’m in gr 11!!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    well, in the interest of not letting myself get too preachy in long, tedious paragraphs, and also in breaking up the way text looks on this website a little bit, i’m going to present some of my ideas in a list. so here we go!

    Aska’s List of Ideas about how Not to Freak Out about University (Yay!)

    1. take a bubble bath and watch as all your troubles melt away.

    2. eat a piece of cake.

    3. start off every day by stretching in bed.

    4. hug more people, more often. (not like strangers, though; only hug people you know. and ask first, ’cause some people have a thing about not liking hugs which you should totally respect, and also, people are better huggers if they enjoy hugging, so…anyway. next point.)

    5. do well in school! almost forgot about that one. because doing well in school is the only sure-fire way of getting into university. no amount of worrying and anxiety can do more than that. buckle down and work, and try to channel that nervous energy into productivity, if you can. (i know how hard it is, but it’s worth it.)

    6. let yourself daydream a little. worrying about university can often be mitigated by a healthy amount of excitement for university; visit campuses, peruse the course calendar to try and find the coolest-sounding courses just for fun, make grand plans without worrying about whether they’ll actually happen. if you’re not enjoying yourself at least a little, then the whole thing isn’t worth it.

    7. understand that while you’re probably not the smartest person applying to university, you’re also probably not the dumbest. if you keep working hard, you will almost certainly be accepted somewhere. also, if you’re not accepted, that’s probably for a reason. like, i would probably not be accepted into the navy, but, you know, i would be miserable if i were in the navy, so i’m glad they wouldn’t take me.

    8. focus on building memorable experiences, now. school is important, and planning ahead will always make things smoother for you down the line, but that’s not everything. go to concerts. learn a new hobby. take a class at your local community centre. take a trip. read more books. start a new TV show. your life will not be made or broken based on whether you attend uoft.

    9. don’t read this blog too much; all this talk about OSAP and subject POSts and stuff is bound to be unnerving for someone not part of that world yet. and if you do read it, know that it’s alright if you don’t understand half of what’s being talked about. heck, i barely understand it sometimes.

    10. breathe!

    best,

    aska

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  • OSAP,  Transferring,  UTM

    transferring (you to the experts)

    April 17, 2014

    Hi there!
    I’m trying to transfer to UTM for the 2014-2015 year from another university. This meaning I’d be in second year if I got in. Now I’m worried
    sick. I’m afraid I won’t get accepted. I did pretty amazing first semester and was able to get a 3.8 but this semester I probably won’t get more than a 3.0 (That’s just a guess but probably around there). Now I know UTM has requirements for the subject PoSts when it comes to gpa. Then theres also the fact that I can’t enroll into courses until I’ve declared a post. All I want to know is whether I’ll be accepted or not because then I have to make arrangements at another university which just seems really messy to me and want to avoid it.

    There was also a question of OSAP, not sure if you would know. I have an resp which I’ve taken out but most of it is with my parents and not in my hand. I did get some of it but it was used up due to emergency’s and I don’t plan to use the one my parents have with them this year. When I apply to OSAP do I need to let them know of this money? I don’t want money that I don’t have anymore to affect my funding.
    Thank you!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    whoa nelly, you’ve got a lot of super specific question, my friend! i want to offer my sympathies to you for having to go through the nerve-wracking process of transferring. believe me, i’m a transfer student too, and i know how anxious you must feel right now. despite that, i want you to channel the energy you’re currently experiencing that’s making you want to scream in a roomful of people or tear out your hair into something productive.

    i’m not gonna deny that asking me questions is usually productive (i mean i can just imagine what a privilege it is to have a chat with me, whatever the circumstance), but in this case, i think your questions would be better directed to people who know about the specifics of your situation. keep checking your application/admission status on the JOIN UofT Portal, but know that UTM will likely wait for your second term marks to make an admission decision, so you might hear back from them as late as the end of May. however, that is still not too late to sign up for courses and declare a subject POSt, so don’t worry.

    as for your chances about admission, i’d recommend calling UTM Admissions & Recruitment at 905-828-5400. they’ll have specific information about your application and also about what they look for in applicants, and can probably better predict whether you’ll get in than i can. i know some people have issues with calling institutions on the phone, but it’ll be fine. they specifically say to call that number with admissions inquiries, so you’re good. i promise.

    finally, for your OSAP question, there are people at the downtown campus who specifically answer questions about OSAP, and i think they’ll be your best bet. you can e-mail them at osap.staff@utoronto.ca for general questions, or if you want to talk with someone about your current application specifically, try calling them at 416-978-2190.

    i hope that is helpful in pointing you in the right direction!

    best,

    aska

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  • admissions,  americans

    kindling a love for kin

    April 17, 2014

    helloooo

    i’m an american born canadian student aka i was born in vancouver so i have a canadian citizenship but moved to america when i was little. because canadian tuition is cheaper and canada is just so cool i am considering going to university in canada. i’m looking into ubc, mcgill, and u of t. problem is i literally know nothing about canada or their system idk. i was?just wondering if you could help shed a little light on all of this.

    ive heard that u of t is more of a liberal arts school and that undergrad?is hella hard there. i want to study kinesiology to become a phyiscal therapist. but i heard that its hard for science majors at uoft to get the classes they need to get into grad school (ex bio physics and chem). is that true? ive heard that many people, bc they didn’t get the required classes, have trouble getting into grad school. i plan on returning to the US for grad school and i would hate for something like that to happen.

    can you just talk a little bit about kinesiology at uoft as well? thank you
    so much!!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    this is the second time i’m hearing this thing about kinesiology students not getting the courses they need, and i’m starting to think i’ve missed something, so if any kin students are reading this, please correct me if you know something about the program that i don’t. however, as far as i know, kinesiology is an entirely different faculty from the faculty of arts & science at uoft, so there’s no way that you wouldn’t get into the classes you need for your degree. also, you wouldn’t be a science major – you would be a kin student, and you would graduate with a B.KIN, not a B.Sc.

    as for uoft being hella hard, there’s something to that, but…i dunno. it’s not impossible. as long as you’re prepared to work hard, you should be able to pull through. university is made for regular people with good a work ethic, not genuises. i don’t think coming here would ruin your chances at grad school, either in canada or abroad (and like i said, getting your required courses/prereqs for grad school shouldn’t be an issue).

    finally, while i usually try to answer everyone’s questions individually, because even similar questions often have different nuances, i answered a question that is literally exactly like yours right here?not too long ago. read that through as well and e-mail me if you have more questions, but i think that post answers everything you’re asking in depth.

    best,

    aska

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  • courses,  odds are that won't be asked again

    picking on the little guy (course)

    April 15, 2014

    Hi there,

    I was just wondering how many students have to be enrolled in a course in order for it not to be cancelled. For example, one of the 300-level summer courses I want to take has space for 45 students but there are only 17 students enrolled. If it reaches, say, 20 students will it still be cancelled because not enough people are taking it?

    Thanks in advance!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    the likelihood of a course being cancelled because of low enrolment is very small. enrolment numbers might affect whether the course runs next year, but if it’s up on ROSI and you can enrol in it now, chances are, it’s going to run. I wouldn’t worry about it.

    so just remember the large, friendly letters on the front of the hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy:

    don't panic

    best,

    aska

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